Missional Explorer

Of Wines and Winds

If you've read my previous postings, you will know that (a) I have become a wine collector of sorts teaching myself about various wines and the wine industry in general, looking for buried treasures in the under $10 price range and (b) in recent days I have also been "testing the winds" at Jim Elliot Christian School to see in which ways the "winds" are blowing.   Prospecting for wine has been very fun for me as I am not usually given to hobbies and, for the first time in years, I find myself eager to learn/teach myself about something I know virtually nothing about. 

As for the "winds" of JECS, it is very difficult to assess our situation.  Our administrator has not been re-hired for next year and we are still struggling with the hugely significant issues of identity, legalism, finances, and direction.   Every day is an adventure as I continue to observe these issues swirling.  I do what I can and offer what I am able and yet, since my year off in 2005-2006, my influence feels to be limited and ebbing.  Part of it is that most people are new to our school over the past three years so they do not remember me from the previous 15 years.  But, for those who do remember me/my role at the school, I have often become a lightening rod for questions, suspicion, and controversy. . . much of it due to misperceptions of the views I bring into my classrooms.   And I would say quite honestly that most of these misperceptions are due to the candor I bring to this blog, a candor I would not bring to the classroom because of my strong feelings that kids deserve/need the right to process/work through their own practices and beliefs without knowing about mine.

As my influence feels to be ebbing, I am discouraged about our short term future especially the ever-present financial deficit which seemingly threatens our very survival along with an encroaching legalism which succumbs to the temptation to "protect" our kids from the world rather than "prepare" them for engaging it.  And yet, most ironically, I have more hope for our mid to long range future than I've ever had due to some conversations we are having with potential missional partners who could potentially bring us a stability we have never experienced in my 17 years at JECS. 

So which way are the "winds" blowing today?  To be honest, I can't even tell you.  All I can do is what our former Administrator, Nancy Keeth, suggested for each day.  "Do the next thing.  Do whatever God has set before you for this day!"

Encouraging News

While the "waters of Jim Elliot School" are still roiling, I am yet hopeful that we will avoid taking the "blue pill" in retreating from the world into the perceived safety of a Christendom cocoon.  There is seemingly warfare at every level of our school: kids, faculty & staff, administration, parents, and board but it is a debate worthy of engagement.  There are many who are not aware of the stakes in this contest as some are innocently (and legitmately from their vantage point) framing it up as "evaluating curriculum" or "avoiding the world".  But the end game is still the same.  Are we going to "protect" our kids FROM the offending and contaminating world around us or are we going to "prepare" our kids for live and ministry IN the world.  If it is to be the latter, how do we conduct ourselves so as to show kids some of the realities in the world while we can talk/process them together?  And what are the limits?

In John 17, Jesus prays that his disciples will not be taken out of the world but rather protected from the Evil One. . . an interesting comparison by any measure.  Joining God in His Mission in the world would seem to be in theory a "no-brainer".  But the reality is that parents choose "Christian Schooling" for all kinds of reasons, some related to God, others not.  Here is the crux of what is being played out in our context: how BIG is our tent and to what extent (a) can we call parents to more God-directed motivations and (b) where motives are questionable, are we willing to be subversive by following Jesus in His "dangerous" path of preparation even if we do not explicitly say so?         

Missionality and the Emerging Church

Interesting that our school appears to going through the agony of trying to weed out what is perceived to be threatening elements of the emerging church.  This has included removing the word "missional" from our conversations (see previous postings) but has continued on into what appears to be a hunt for those who believe such things.  I am on record of support for the board in banning the word "missional" as long as we do not abandon living what it means.  But I genuinely hope that our search for intellectual and spiritual purity stops there.  While there are many misconceptions of "missional" and "emerging", they in fact have altogether different roots--see my sidebar books/authors section--even as they have apparently been lumped together as the cause of many of our ills.

As a response to any of you who read this blog and find yourselves in similar situations, I would recommend an outstanding article in Christianity Today by Scot McKnight entitled "Five Streams of the Emerging Church which can be found at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/february/11.35.html?start=1.

I think Scot provides an invaluable service by distinguishing between "missional" and "emerging" and, even further, between "emerging" which is an adjective commonly used in front of all kinds of words (global markets, computer chips, churches, etc.) and "Emergent" which is an organization that I don't always agree with.  Reading this article, you will also find a very helpful critique of Emergent even as Scot admits his status as one who admires the organization.  Also very helpful is Scot's separation of reality from that which has grown up as urban legend and taken a life of it's own (as some in my school will attest).  I'll include below just the first few paragraphes of the article which may whet your appitite for the real thing.  I've also underlined some sections which Scot did not in order for emphasis in our present situation at school.   

"It is said that emerging Christians confess their faith like mainliners—meaning they say things publicly they don't really believe. They drink like Southern Baptists—meaning, to adapt some words from Mark Twain, they are teetotalers when it is judicious. They talk like Catholics—meaning they cuss and use naughty words. They evangelize and theologize like the Reformed—meaning they rarely evangelize, yet theologize all the time. They worship like charismatics—meaning with their whole bodies, some parts tattooed. They vote like Episcopalians—meaning they eat, drink, and sleep on their left side. And, they deny the truth—meaning they've got a latte-soaked copy of Derrida in their smoke- and beer-stained backpacks.

Along with unfair stereotypes of other traditions, such are the urban legends surrounding the emerging church—one of the most controversial and misunderstood movements today. As a theologian, I have studied the movement and interacted with its key leaders for years—even more, I happily consider myself part of this movement or "conversation." As an evangelical, I've had my concerns, but overall I think what emerging Christians bring to the table is vital for the overall health of the church.

In this article, I want to undermine the urban legends and provide a more accurate description of the emerging movement. Though the movement has an international dimension, I will focus on the North American scene.

To define a movement, we must, as a courtesy, let it say what it is. Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger, in their book, Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures (Baker Academic, 2005) define emerging in this way:

Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. This definition encompasses nine practices. Emerging churches (1) identify with the life of Jesus, (2) transform the secular realm, and (3) live highly communal lives. Because of these three activities, they (4) welcome the stranger, (5) serve with generosity, (6) participate as producers, (7) create as created beings, (8) lead as a body, and (9) take part in spiritual activities.

This definition is both descriptive and analytical. D. A. Carson's Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church (Zondervan, 2005) is not alone in pointing to the problems in the emerging movement, and I shall point out a few myself in what follows. But as a description of the movement, Carson's book lacks firsthand awareness and suffers from an overly narrow focus—on Brian McLaren and postmodern epistemology.

To prevent confusion, a distinction needs to be made between "emerging" and "Emergent." Emerging is the wider, informal, global, ecclesial (church-centered) focus of the movement, while Emergent is an official organization in the U.S. and the U.K. Emergent Village, the organization, is directed by Tony Jones, a Ph.D. student at Princeton Theological Seminary and a world traveler on behalf of all things both Emergent and emerging. Other names connected with Emergent Village include Doug Pagitt, Chris Seay, Tim Keel, Karen Ward, Ivy Beckwith, Brian McLaren, and Mark Oestreicher. Emergent U.K. is directed by Jason Clark. While Emergent is the intellectual and philosophical network of the emerging movement, it is a mistake to narrow all of emerging to the Emergent Village.

Emerging catches into one term the global reshaping of how to "do church" in postmodern culture. It has no central offices, and it is as varied as evangelicalism itself. "

Lest anyone think that Scot McNight treats the emerging movement with a soft touch, he offers the following critique along with several others in his closing paragraphes.  The emerging movement is certainly not beyond critique and I may offer some of my own in the days ahead.  But, like Scot, I see more good than bad and and I am hopeful our present conversation may take on a more constructive tone in differentiating between fact from urban legend.

"So I offer here a warning to the emerging movement: Any movement that is not evangelistic is failing the Lord. We may be humble about what we believe, and we may be careful to make the gospel and its commitments clear, but we must always keep the proper goal in mind: summoning everyone to follow Jesus Christ and to discover the redemptive work of God in Christ through the Spirit of God."

"All the Best Gifts Are Dangerous!"

Linda and I participated in a most unusual and enjoyable event last night when we joined a number of other JES folks from our school's past for a wine-tasting/teaching party.  One of my former students, Micah, has developed a passion and understanding for fine wine so Micah brought 15-20 wines from different countries and styles for us to sample.  Believe it or not, part of the fun of this event (aside from the laughter and fellowship of old friends) was when Pastor Joe Beach brought a little devotional before the festivities (and teaching) began.  Joe used a number of passages from Scripture to show how the Biblical narrative shows wine to be a sign of prosperity and celebration.  But, even more compelling, was Joe's comment that "All of God's best gifts to us can also be the most dangerous!" 

We talked about that comment throughout the evening.  Sex, money, drink, and food are all wondrous gifts from God meant for our enjoyment but they are also tremendously ripe for misuse and damage leading to destruction of lives and relationships.  This, of course, does not happen in a vacuum.  Human beings obviously and often make destructive choices but we must also recognize one of our enemies prime weapons: to bend and twist that which is ultimately meant for our good towards damage and despair. So do we avoid these and other "gifts" from God because they are potentially threatening and dangerous or do we recognize the danger and still share in these gifts with thankfulness and careful abandon?   

2008: A New Chapter

If, as I recently heard, each one of the years of our lives is a chapter in a mystery as we journey in/towards/with God, then I say that "Chapter 2007" in my life was a truly great chapter despite some gnarly twists & turns" which make a mystery just that. . . a mystery with often uncertain choices and outcomes. 

My wife and I were discussing the "butterfly effect" the other day which is the theory that actions and choices in one distant and seemingly unrelated part of the world (the movement of a butterfly's wings) may unknowing affect other actions and choices in a completely separate part of the world. . . perhaps even mine.  The "butterfly effect" came up as we discussed any regrets we may have over how we have made choices and/or lived our lives over the past years.   Do we have small regrets?  Sure!  Doesn't everyone? But do we have huge regrets?  No!  And for that we are thankful.  We also realize that, to have regrets. . . to wish, for example, that we had kept our home in the City Park West neighborhood of downtown Denver, we may have unknowingly kicked into the "butterfly effect" where (again for example) we may not have made our wonderfully awesome trip overseas in 2006.  So it's not worth wasting mental, emotional, and spiritual energy living our lives with regrets.

Speaking of "regrets", I often remember that Tony Campolo references a survey conducted among older American adults who "regret" that they had not lived their lives with more passion.  That is a "regret" which I hope I never have.  So, as Chapter 2007 turns into Chapter 2008, I pray that the new Chapter 2008 proves to be as exciting and, yes, as mysterious as some of my previous chapters have been.    

How Do We Talk About Missionality?

At a recent weekend conference with authors Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, Michael Frost presented what I found to be an intriguing way to unpack missionality with "new travelers" in first time conversations.  Michael suggested that talking anything "post" (Post-Christian, Post-Modern, Post-Christendom, Post-Evangelical, etc.) is often counterproductive because these terms tend to (a) cause people's eyes to glaze over with confusion and (b) elicit an immediately negative reaction due to the fact that the terms. . . and the meaning behind the terms. . .  can be so elusive and controversial.

Instead, Michael suggested that we call evangelicals to rediscover three classic doctrines of evangelical faith: Missio Dei (The Mission of God in the world), Participatio Christi (Participating in the unfolding and incarnational role of Jesus in the world) and Imagio Dei, (Every human being carries the imprint of the Creator as made in the Image of God).

While I still find it truly important to unpack the disaster that Christendom unknowingly (at the time) carried for the Church as an invading and distorting "virus" which mutated (by accommodating to surrounding culture) authentic faith, I still think that Michael's suggestion is brilliant.  I've encountered plenty of conversations myself where introducing any of the "posts" end up being conversation stoppers.  But if we can call evangelicals back to the classic doctrines of our faith which have been a part of evangelicalism for generations, we might (as C.S. Lewis suggested about stories) "steal past watchful dragons", in this case the watchful dragons of fear/uncertainty of anything "new".  It is indeed ironic that what is perceived as "new" actually resonates from the pre-modern early Church and that the most best way forward may lie by looking to the past.   

Our First Missional Wednesday

It's been difficult finding time to post in recent days as we've closed in on our first Missional Wednesday experience  yesterday as a school.  I am delighted to report that we had an awesome first day as our students and teachers fanned out across the Denver community, joining what God is doing at the Children's Hospital, the Food Bank of the Rockies, a Nursing Home, The Crossing (Denver Rescue Mission) and three different Head Start Montessori programs.  Superficially, we are calling these days "Service Learning" and, while we have deeper motives than we have had in the past, it is still true that each of these experiences provides an ideal opportunity for kids (and teachers) to learn by doing experientially. 

Yet our deeper motives (which represent a fundamental change in HOW we enter these service days) have changed from what we have done in the past.  Now, instead of just learning how to serve others, while incredibly important, we are also training ourselves and the kids to recognize that God has preceded us to each and every location. . . and that we are not just doing "good works" but have the opportunity to look for what God may be doing WITHIN each of the events and encounters of the day.  Whether they be opportunities for kindness or openings for Spiritual (perhaps even God) conversations, we are enjoying a newfound chance to look for what God is doing everywhere.  Sometimes what God is doing may run counter to our expectations and we might, in fact, "find" God in places/conversations that we never anticipated but this is our present challenge as we begin to walk missionally.  May we see God in everything and everyplace we go! 

Engaging God's Kingdom

Hugh impacted me with another comment he made this past Sunday about the Kingdom of God.  Contradicting our/my desire to control and/or "make things happen", the Bible gives every indication that God's Kingdom cannot be built, enhanced, or advanced by anything I or anyone else can do.  Instead, Jesus always seems to speak of the Kingdom as arriving in our midst, not as a result of anything accomplished or done by human beings, but by God's sovereign activity in this world.  Our missional task is then to resist the presumption (espcially among Western culture) that we can add to God's Kingdom and, instead, join God in what He is already doing in engaging the world around us.  One more nail in the coffin of this most damaging lie: "If its to be, its up to me"!   

The Kingdom of God and the Game of Life

Hugh Halter brought into play a brilliant metaphor yesterday at our gathering of Adullam.  Hugh had the board game called "Life" spread out before us with the board pieces, spinner, good news & bad news stops, etc.  and proceeded to compare the game of Life with the Kingdom into which God invites us to live out our days.  Living in God's Kingdom, there is no spinner with it's arbitrary and random actions and no sequential and materialistic activities that are presented as required.  Instead we are invited into an alternative way of seeing and living. . . off board and with nothing random about any of our stories or events.  So, I'm asking, what does this mean for me?

Choosing to Trust God

One of the many realities that Linda and I have gleaned from our continuing participation in Retrouvaille is that we CHOOSE to commit, love, forgive, and trust each other within the covenant of our marriage.  Our culture tends to identify each of these as "feelings" which, of course, leads us to commit, love, forgive, and trust each other only as we "feel" like doing so.  But if we approach each of these as choices that we make daily, we can (for example) choose to trust each other whether we "feel" like it or not.  And the pleasant serendipity is that, as we choose to trust each other the "feeling" of trust often follows.

It occurred to me this morning that we must approach God in this same manner.  Candidly and honestly, we are facing a great many transitions and decisions for our family in the very near future and, in the midst of my anxiety and stress, I have found it quite difficult to "feel" that God is trustworthy in the face of so many uncertainties.  But, perhaps my task is to tell God each morning that I will CHOOSE to trust Him for this day despite the uncertainty and no matter what my feelings of anxiety and stress may tell me.  Choosing to trust is a step forward for me and I hope to actualize this choice in the days ahead.